Burdock Gear Solid
by Rbade
Summary: Dragon Ball has a… let's face it, absolutely MASSIVE continuity filled with snarls and contradictions. But I love it all! This, this right here, is how everyone's favorite angry saiyan dad went down in a version where *everything* happened (and some choice fanworks I loved). Forced into a solid continuity. No this is not a Metal Gear fic; Bardock is just voiced by David Hayter.
1. Familiar Situation

**North Quadrant: Planet Kanassa**

**Age 739**

_"__Do not lose heart, my faithful Kanass! This is our duty! We must see it through until the end! _

Toolo lies through his metaphorical teeth as the monstrous apes tear their way through the capital. The full moon…! He had seen this coming, they all had. But as the fishlike alien hid inside a nearly collapsed tower, he truly realized that no matter how much preparation they got done, no matter how psionically superior they were, the brutish power the enemy wielded never even gave them a fighting chance regardless of fate. This… was the end of Kanassa, at the hands of the saiyans. Toolo cringes as another blast blares, the horrifically potent beam cutting its way through the darkness and detonating an nearby complex.

_"__Commander, I have drawn blood! But now, the foot must rise and fall…"_

_"… __You have done well, Demetrious. I will meet you at the door."_

The commander blinks tears out of his eye as the psychic death squawk of his closest friend rings out; the guffawing of the great monkey nearby does not help matters in the slightest. Their power is overwhelming - it's only sheer luck that any one individual could have survived this long in the desperate struggle; Toolo gazes up and curses the moon for granting celestial power to the invaders…

_"__OH CRAP-!_"

He barely even has time to curse before the rubble of his building buries the already weakened Kanassan commander.

**Landing Site: Four Hours Later**

"That was a heckuva party, wasn't it?" Tora says as he turns to the other saiyans in the invasion party. He grins wearily; no matter how brutal, a saiyan ain't right if he can't enjoy a fight.

"If you say so. I don't remember any of it."

"Yer a typical ape, Fasha."

"Ah, shut up! I don't see how you guys can remember anything, anyways. It's elephants that aren't supposed to forget, not _apes_."

"Whut's an elephant?" Borgos blurts out for the sole purpose of being ignored.

"I din't remember much either, it's like waking' up from a dream. But I remembuh the crusty li'l devil what gave me _this_," Shugesh grumbles as he flicks the scar on his cheek. He grunts as the motion causes his chub to jiggle.

"Bardock says _he_ remembers _everything_~," the lone woman snidely remarks. "Pfha, Fasha, don't make me laugh. Bardock might remember every second of every battle, but he remembers _nothing_ of his personal life. Allow me to demonstrate."

Tora turns around, glancing at their brave leader. "Bardock! What day was your son born, again?"

"… I have a son?"

Fasha snickers.

"He was born just an _eighth-cycle ago_, dumbass~. You should go see the little tyke. We definitely have enough time to stop by Vegeta before the next assignment."

Bardock sits up, looking bleary. "Visit him, huh? Nice, father-son 'bonding'… wait, no, that's not right. My son must've been born a while before that. I'm pretty sure he's in the military!"

"Bardock, you're too much. The _other_ son, genius."

"Other son?!"

Tora facepalms while chuckling, and the whole group breaks out into laughter; except poor dull Borgos, who just looks around in confusion as he eats a clump of vegetation he found.

The laughter dies down…

"Hey guys," Shugesh pipes up, "Why'd we fight fer this dump anyways? Is Freezer out of his tiny little mind or something?"

"Well, yeah. But not in this case. I think this planet has special properties, or so I've heard."

"I heard the same thing Bardock. You're supposed to be able to develop _psychic powers_ if you live here. Like being able to read minds and see the future, and stuff like that."

"Freezer's such a paranoid freak; he'd _jump_ at the chance to be able to read minds."

"That's a scury thought! Freezer readin' minds…! I-"

Borgos suddenly falls back on his ass before he can finish his sentence; the rest of the saiyans whip around towards the source of the disturbance as rocks crumble. It looks like one of the soik natives survived?!

"How did we miss _this_ one?!"

"I wish you baboons _could_ read minds, so you could have heard the thoughts of my troops as you slaughtered them! *wheeze*"

Before any of the invaders even have a chance to react, Toolo's body makes a choice of its own. The commander bum-rushes what he can only assume to be the leader of the group, based on their earlier conversation.

The saiyans are too shocked to react; all but Bardock, who tenses up. He throws a skull shattering punch - only to whiff and hit thin air! An after image technique! The brawler barely has time to register the advanced maneuver before he feels a sharp pain ring out from the back of his neck, as though his nerves are on fire.

"Aagh!"

Toolo smirks as much as he can with his fishy jowls, taking bitter satisfaction on the agony he has inflicted upon the leader of the invaders for a good half a second before Shugesh fucking decks him. He stumbles forwards, dazed and unable to defend himself from the powerful kick in the coccyx-equivalent that follows to slam him into the nearby rock face from which he just emerged.

The powerful warrior that he is, it doesn't actually stop him. The other saiyans step back as he quickly recovers and pops back to his feet, twisting to face his enemies. Tora silently, stone faced, raises his hand and pelts the soik with a fiery ki blast.

A few moments later Bardock manages to regain consciousness, and stands up; the first thing he sees is the fiery figure of the Kanassan warrior. He stumbles back.

"What in the hell is _going_ _on_?!" he shouts as the Kanassan seems to _absorb_ the energy; he was on fire a second ago, but now more appears to be wreathed in a ghostly blue and white aura. The rest of the saiyans step back.

_"__I have transmuted your destructive force into a more tolerable energy… Soon you will all die!"_

He grunts out a response.

"Yeah? We'll see about _that_. Now GOODBYE-"

_"__WAIT!"_

Bardock hesitates, though he doesn't know why. Maybe the rumors are true; perhaps this fishy guy has gotten in his head…

_"__You have come here seeking psychic power… well, I have given it to you, BARDOCK."_

_"__He reads minds!"_

_"__You can too now_, _Bardock… You have the power now too!"_

"Me…? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"B-bardock… what… you talking to…?"

He realizes that the other saiyans are paralyzed, somehow removed from the situation; by what, he can't tell, though he assumes it has to do with their opponent's psychic shenanigans.

_"__The one who seeks this power, Freezer, will never have it… But I have given it to you as a gift, BARDOCK, so that you could see…"_

"See what?!"

_"__See the _horror _of your end, just like _we _HAD TO!"_

The beast starts to cackle horrifically. It's… kind of terrifying, seeing something so close to death laughing so intensely. Its mind probably broke, and the remnants of its psyche only continue to degenerate as it caterwauls with laughter and sprays spittle at the warriors.

Bardock cringes and fires back with a hearty "SHUT! UP!" to power through the psychic resistance: the soik's cackles are cut short via a sudden dose of the saiyan's signature Rebellion Spear attack. The body falls to the dirt in burnt pieces.

Suddenly the blockage is gone, and everything is thrown back into sharp focus, almost too sharp to bear. A bewildered Shugesh inspects the charred corpse of the warrior once known as Toolo.

"I-instant barbecue, heh? You, uh, never know what yer gonna find under a rock these days… Pretty freaky creature, eh…? Hey? Yo. Hello?"

The stock still saiyan manages to turn to look at his partner and gives a soulless grin. A noise starts up in his throat…

"Stop fooling a… round, Bardock?"

… until with a lurch he collapses. Bardock faceplants into the dirt, kicking up dust from the impact. Almost unnoticeable sparks of psychic electricity glisten around his braincase.

"Hey, the hell?!"

"BARDOCK!"

"Bardock!"

"He's out cold!

"Ah knew dat freaky thing 'ad something up its sleeve!"

The team rushes forwards in a surprising show of empathy. It's rare, but not unheard of in saiyan culture; especially among battle brothers. After all, blood of the covenant is stronger than the water of the womb. Fasha and Tora in particular manage to lug their fallen leader onto their shoulders, while Shugesh tries to wave down their transport from the planet's moon. A normal world would have them simply appear in some pods, but for a long and difficult campaign like this it was simply more economical to come in a full ship.

"D-don't you dare die on me, Bardock…"

And as their ticket home to Vegeta closes in, Bardock drifts off to a series of foreboding dreams of the future…

_"__Is that… my son…?"_

_"__Eight… nine… ten thousand…?!"_

**Arcosian Orbit: Training Room on Freezer's Ship**

Prince Vegeta, a mere five years (or about half a Plant Cycle) old glowers around the room. The dim red lightning reflects off the eyes of the cultivars, making them appear even more menacing than they would ordinarily. The young prince is not frightened, though; he could make mincemeat out of saibamen with his eyes closed.

He tenses up, though still standing straight and stock. A sai lunges only to be casually stepped aside, its flurry of strikes easily avoided. A number of other sais join in, but the monkey prince deftly evades them all. The new operator is stunned from inside the booth.

"Holy Rings of Korbeesha, did you see that?!"

"Yes, I see it all the time. That's Prince Vegeta. He's the best of them."

"Gah! There's no way!"

"Not for any kid _you've_ ever known."

The Grand Vizier of the saiyans, Nappa, smirks as he leans against the wall. He takes pride in how well he's trained the little monkey, and now the Freezer Force is going to eat their own damn words. Maybe not the senior operator… he seems to know his place. Maybe keep him around as a slave?

Within the Training Room itself, a quintet of sai lunge at Vegeta from all directions, their combined might making them almost a match for Nappa himself.

"Hyaaagh!"

Their efforts result only in sever concussions as the prince releases an astounding wave of energy for someone so young; the saibamen slam into the walls and ceilings to spatter purple goo. He truly is a prodigy warrior.

Forgoing a quip, he simply turns to the nearest unconscious sai and raises a finger. One by one, he blows their brains out, turning them to mulch and then ash. Only whence all his 'training partners' are dead, does he allow himself the pleasure of a smirk.

"H-h-unbelievable!"

"I told you."

"M-my god, what's he going to be like when he's full grown?!"

"Hmhrm… Nobody knows that. But take my advice and stay on his good side."

"Sure, yeah, yeuh…" the fishy operator mumbles after Nappa. The muscular giant grins as he pushes his way out of the operator room. The Vizier hasn't felt this smug in months.

"OPEN UP YOU FOOL, I'M DONE!"

The operator lurches forwards in terror, slamming the button to open the hatch; "Aiiiygh, right, sorry sir!" he screeches while Nappa moves to the side of the entrance. He holds out the prince's body armor; he made sure to fold its little sash~.

"Heheheh, yer the best, prince."

The ungrateful bastard shouts at his attendant to "Stop kissing up, NAPPA!" as they make their way to the ship's walkway. The operators look on, but in substantially different manners. The junior keeps glancing at his senior, wondering if he might be desensitized to the barbarians after working with them for so long before looking out to make sure the saiyans are really, _truly_ off on their way.

"This place _bores_ me! I want another combat assignment, no more drills! Man, _Freezer_: the day will soon be here when we won't take anymore orders from him, just you watch!"

"Hoh, you think so?"

"I know so," the prince quips with a smirk.

"Haha, I'd love that!"

"I thought you might."

"So Vegeta, now that yer training's done… you wanna go get something at _dairy queen_~?"

"… You know what Nappa, _yes_. Yes I do. But first, I have _something_ in mind to get us out of the latest assignment I've heard about."

"Ooh, you mean the one about every saiyan being recalled to Vegeta; even the tykebombs?"

"Indeed, Nappa! Indeed…"

**Freezer's Throne Room: Ten Minutes Later**

The tyrannical ruler of the Planet Trade Organization (formerly the Arcosian Empire) glowers over the the reports being sent to him. Kikono is one of the top scientific and historical researchers in the Quadrant, and yet the amount of data he has gathered is _distressingly_ low. Not only is there no reliable data on the Super Saiyan, there are now these fragments of rumors, of a Saiyan God?! These monkeys… they could be a real _threat_. Dodoria, one of his generals, shifts uncomfortably next to him. HIs _other_ present general, Zarbon, enters stage right.

"Pardon me, Lord Freezer sir. Interesting news… it seems planet Kanassa has been occupied as of last night."

"Oh?"

"Yes, sire. The Kanassans have been eradicated. The planet's yours."

"Kanassa?!" the pink spiky-headed brute grumbles. "That job's been in the pool for months. I thought we'd have to handle that one _ourselves_."

"No, a band of _saiyans_ took it."

Freezer mumbles under his breath; "Saiyans…"

"Wow, their elite teams are becoming comparable to our own."

"Actually, it was a band of their _low level_ soldiers."

Dodoria straightens in shock, before dismissing the claims. "Bah, no low-levels could take Kanassa! No, these are _standouts_. The saiyans are quickly becoming our best fighters, am I right?"

"Yes, Dodoria. Without a doubt, they're much stronger now than they were even just a few months ago, during that comically foolish assassination attempt. It's amazing. In a small group on a full moon, they're hard to beat."

Freezer grumbles as he thinks about that night; King Vegeta bursting into his throne room after he and his praetorian guard had overrun the ship…

_"It's over, Freezer! We've come to put an end to you, and your reign!"_

_"'We'? You and what army, Vegeta?"_

_"W-what? Fools! Get back hee–*__GACK*!"_

"Nyegh, what, are you _scaaared_ of them, Zarbon?"

"NO. Certainly not. I'm just saying that we need to keep an eye on them, that's all. Like this _Bardock_ who led the assault on the Kanassans. What if he and his crew teamed up with the young prince Vegeta and a handful of other great fighters. How would you like to tangle with _that bunch_ on a full moon?"

A chuckle rises from the hoverchair in the center of the room; both Generals turn to acknowledge their emperor.

"Only a fool would welcome _that_ scenario."

"Yes, sire…"

The door suddenly opens behind them, and Zarbon and Dodoria quickly turn. Zarbon remains pokerfaced in shock, but Dodoria grimaces at the little intruder. What business did this little shit have with Lord Freezer?! A hilariously offended Zarbon slowly turns purple; "VEGETA! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Yeh, Freezer didn't send for you, punk! You know that no one sees Lord Freezer unless he calls them first!"

Said punk glares at the Generals, smirking internally. He knows Freezer has tired of the saiyans… but he also knows that his skill is particularly desirable.

"Look, Dodoria, _Zarbon_! I'm bored: this is lame! I need an assignment!"

"Hmph! Who do you think you are?! I ought to teach you a lesson in etiquette, _Prince_!"

Freezer drops his frown for once, almost grinning; his pet monkey is rather amusing in his presumptuousness!

"Give him an assignment Zarbon, immediately!"

"Lord Freeza?!"

"The boy doesn't mean any _harm_, Zarbon~. He just hasn't learned how to control his PASSION. Give him the hardest assignment that you have… And Vegeta, do come back _alive_."

"Sire!"


	2. Canon Welding

**Bardock Crew's Transport Ship**

"GAH!"

"Bardock?! Oh, you're awake! Yo!"

"Uwah…? Hey, Leek. Where…?

Bardock looks around the area, before sitting up on his haphazard gurney. It looks like… he's in the front of the ship?

"Well, we're on the ship on the way back to Vegeta. Everyone is. The assignment's complete, remember? Tora and Fasha hoisted you onto a gurney after you had that stroke or something. They figured you'd rather be in the head of the ship when you woke up instead of your posh captain's quarters."

"At least they know me… how long was I out?"

"It's only been a few hours, actually. The scans showed that you didn't even need a healing pod."

"That's good, I guess. So - why back to Planet Vegeta, o talented pilot of ours?"

"Actually, it looks like pretty much everyone's been recalled. Not sure what it's about, but the Freezer Force apparently wants every saiyan up and ready to go."

"Freezer, huh?"

Bardock thinks… and then notices a chill running down his spine. A concentrated terror, barely even noticeable above his subconscious.

"Leek… why are we we going back, again?"

"What? I just said - Freezer recalled all the saiyans. Geez, maybe that stroke did more damage than we thought…"

"… Leek, take off your Scouter. Something's giving me a bad feeling about this."

The ace pilot of the Bardock Crew looks at their leader out of the corner of his eye; he looks totally serious and, for what its worth, rather sober.

"Geez, sure, okay. What's up?"

"Look, it's just suspicious. Why would Freezer need _every_ saiyan alive back on Vegeta? If he had something to say he could just announce it over the Instant Transmitters. Or if he had new weapons or supplies, there's no reason we'd all have to pick them up at once…"

"This is a little paranoid, don't you think?"

"No more paranoid than that freak Freezer can get."

"I guess _that's_ true."

"Conquering planets has been the way of life for the saiyans, right? Ever since the Tuffle War, it's how we've made our fortunes. Even when the Arcosians stopped being our 'generous benefactors' and annexed us, we've still been able to snag a good chunk of the profit."

"Yeah, but King Cold snapped us up a pretty long time ago."

"But even with how profitable it's been… We've never really been happy working together, have we?"

"Heh, that's true too. I can't think of a single saiyan who likes _Freezer_."

"And the Freezer Force, not to mention the PTO as a whole has grown extremely large. They could probably get by even without us annoying saiyans."

Leek's eyes widen as he sees what his commander is getting at. "W-wait, you think he might be planning to _exterminate_ us?! T-that's crazy!"

"Well… _Freezer's_ crazy. It's a possibility, right?"

He laughs nervously; "Oh, man, Bardock, you're too much. That stroke really did a number on you, huh?"

"Suit yourself, man. I'm just saying, I've got a hunch…"

**Thirty Minutes Later: Spaceport on Vegeta**

"Yo! Welcome back; didn't think ya'd make it out of there alive~."

"Shut up," Bardock grunts, shading his eyes as he looks up at Kajaio, the hot white sun of Vegeta.

The bulky former battle brother looks a mite offended; Leek interrupts "Sorry, man, Bardock's not really feeling so great right now. He had a stroke towards the end of the mission."

"Oh, geez, huh. Get well soon, I guess."

"… Hey, Taro."

"Uh? Yeah, Bardock?"

"Do you know why everyone's gotten the order to return to Vegeta?"

The saiyan puts his hand to his chin, scratching in thought. "Beats me. Maybe… maybe they've found a fortified world! One so protected that it'll take every saiyan alive to conquer!"

"That must be it! And here you were getting me all worried, Bardock."

Bardock grunts, before departing; he still feels uneasy. He's sure his crew will understand once they wake up from hypersleep.

"Oh, now that you guys mention it… Bardock, I heard that Freezer's cronies have been asking around about the Super Saiyan."

"The Super Saiyan…? Like the one in the legend? … That's it!"

"What's it?"

Bardock glances back at Leek and Taro; "Free-"

_"__See the _horror _of your end, just like _we _HAD TO!"_

The last words of Toolo suddenly ring out, clanging around Bardock's skull. The fledgling psion screams as he clutches his head in his hands; Leek lets out a strangled shriek when he notices that his eyes have gone totally white.

"Bardock!"

"Yo, you okay?!"

Their words wash over Bardock unnoticed as he catches glimpses of an unknown future, while his delirium drags him towards unconsciousness.

_"… __now that my head is starting to clear, _visions_."_

_"__Taro told me something was up with you…"_

**Freezer's Ship**

Freezer watches as Vegeta's ship warps off to their next assignment on Cretaceous; him and a few other handpicked saiyans will carry their races servitude on past their forced retirement. He glances at Kikono next to him, half-listening to his prattling.

"Well, Lord Freezer, we've investigated _extensively_ into the rumors of the legendary Super Saiyan… and the Saiyan God. But, from we can tell they appear to be only myths!"

"Oh, wonderful! I expected as much, _buuut_ I can't have even the slightest cause for concern at this time."

"So, then, are we calling off the attack?"

"Ohoho, you are hilarious~! After all the trouble I went through to get almost all the monkeys in one place? No, this is the _perfect_ opportunity to rid us of the saiyans once and for all! Though…"

"Yes, Lord Freezer?"

"The worrying band of monkeys who took Kanassa… do make sure they are more quietly disposed of, will you? I would appreciate it if they weren't nearby to _interfere_."

"As you wish, m'Lord. I'll send them to…?"

"Planet Meat would be a _splendid_ decoy; we've needed that planet cleared out anyways for quite a spell~. Tell Dodoria to prepare an ambush. I have a few things to sort out. hm, could I get some of that damn mineral at _this_ hour…?"

**Planet Vegeta: Royal Health and Science Complex**

"Good god, if he keeps this up he's going to end up stronger than the King!"

"No kidding! This Bardock, he comes back from every mission half-dead! My gosh!"

The earen technician and shienil doctor chat over their patient's healing pod, cautiously reading the data being collected.

"I think he needs to be retested, Malaka. What kind of crazy low-level soldier could go to a planet like _Kanassa_ with only a handful of men… and actually _take_ it in just a few days?!"

"I agree, Planthor! This case is exceptional."

The visiting Tora leans over, looking at the comatose body of his oldest friend. "How is he, Malaka?"

"Let's see… well, you see, he's perfectly fine physically. Mentally, though, I'm not so sure! There's a slight abnormality in his brainwave patterns…"

"His brainwaves? Damn, those psycho-fish must've done something…!"

"That don't sound too good, Tora. We should handle dis one without 'im; Meat shouln't be much of a problem to purge, and it was a special mission from Freezer himself," Shugesh pipes up.

"Right, okay, we should be fine on meat," he says as he turns back to Bardock. "Well, goodbye, old friend. See you when we get back."

And with that, Bardock's Crew departs for the last time. Since this should be a quick mission they get in their individual pods; Leek stays behind, ready to enjoy a day off on Planet Vegeta.

**Ten Minutes Later**

The earen sits back in his chair, sipping some tea. It's true that being a slave to the saiyans isn't the best fate, but at least he landed a gig as a doctor. Some of the other servants don't even get health benefits.

His reverie is broken by the sound of rapid beeping; eyes darting across the room, he discerns the cause. Bardock's brainwaves are unstable! He lurches out of his chair, ready to do his duty as a healer even while on lunch…

"*cough* Malaka! MALAKA! Something serious is… damn it, he's freaking out!"

The saiyan warrior writhes in his healing pod, screaming in the fluid. Bubbles explode out of his facial orifices as he has what looks like a _very_ violent seizure.

Planthor takes a deep breath before jumping into the fray, hitting all the necessary buttons on the monitor. The tubes disconnect one by one, leaving the thrashing body floating weightless in the green liquid. He throws open the hatch; the water bursts out and the patient crumples to the ground.

"Bardock, Bardock! Are you all right?!"

The saiyan's eyes flutter open, seemingly over what had just happened in his sleep. "I…what…? It was like I was having a nightmare… but I wasn't asleep. At least, I don't think I was asleep."

"You gave me quite the scare, Bardock. I think it would be wise to take it easy for a while, this injury might last."

"Oh, you do? Well, I wouldn't know, I'm not wise."

"You aren't?"

"_No_."

"Oh, I think you're quite wise. How else could you take on the assignments you do and still come back in one piece?"

"I know how to fight, that's all. It doesn't take a ton of brains to be a great fighter. Which reminds me… where's Tora? I think I heard him here earlier."

"Off world. You and your team were actually ordered on to a mission, by Lord Freezer himself! It looks like your work has finally gotten you some of the attention you deserve."

"What, Freezer?! And those bums just take off without me, huh?"

"Bardock, no! You still need to rest. You really should sit this assignment out. We don't know if you could have another stroke or seizure."

"… You're right. I guess I'll just prepare for Freezer's arrival."

"Prepare? How so?"

"It's a surprise… Actually, Planthor."

"Yes?"

"Is my son still here? Er, _Kakarotto_, the small one?"

"Ah, yes, your youngest! I'm afraid not; he just passed his eighth-cycle a few days ago. He was taken out of his state incubator for placement in a personal nursing capsule. His mother came by just a little while ago to pick him up."

"Hm, that at least saves me some time. Tell Malaka I said hi."

"Can do, Bardock."

**Border of the Slave Quarter: Meat Distribution Center**

The green alien slumps over the counter; obviously a slave, but one that looks like they're rather well off for a xeno on Vegeta. Dendretta was a pleasure slave, and did not exactly _enjoy_ her position (as she much as she would rather have been with her husband on their homeworld). However, this version of the individual at least, was lucky enough to be treated relatively well by her owner. Chishan, one of the heirs of the Grand Vizier, was a relatively stable saiyan and one who let his consort mostly do as she pleased. Aaand today, she was out shopping for meat.

"So anyways, Gine, I heard that mission on Jinkousei's finally being _aborted_. Or was it Zenyark? What_evah_, the one you met your hubbie on. Ships are pulling out pretty quick; that crazy Naranja bitch won't be bothering you two anytime soon, eh?"

"That's awful, Dendretta! Even if she was… unstable, we still shouldn't just leave saiyans to die!"

"Gine… you're nice and all, but (yeah gimme that salami - oh and the bacon) but most of you saiyans are… well…"

The small woman sighs as she lops off a slab of meat. "Yeah, yeah, I know… but it's still wrong to just _abandon_ them, especially since a Freezer Force assignment is the reason they're there in the first place." Her customer shrugs as she packs the meat away, taking a small bite for herself.

"Gurl, see you around~."

Gine waves goodbye, before promptly swiveling around. She whistles, jamming her butcher's knife into a slab of ironturtle meat and starting to wash up.

"No warm welcome, Gine?"

"Eh?! Bardock!"

She turns around, eyes sparkling as she alights on her husband. It's rare for saiyans to have truly loving relationships, but Gine was always a bit of a special case. As for Bardock, they _were_ battle partners for the short time before she retired. His repeatedly saving her from Jinkouseian machine mutants might have been a factor in her affection for him; she glomps him voraciously.

"Hey, hey, I'm here," he chuckles before pushing her off. "Man, the place's busy, huh?"

"Yeah, it's not often that everyone's back. Except for the rest of your crew, and prince Vegeta's team all the saiyans are back here."

"Prince Vegeta…? His is the team that Raditz got assigned to, right?"

"Actually, you're right! I'm surprised, Bardock: I didn't think you were the type to pay attention to your kids like that~," she playfully chides him before planting a light kiss on his cheek.

"Huh, so he's offworld… how's the other one doing?"

Gine raises an eyebrow before smiling softly, "I didn't think you'd remember Kakarotto… what's gotten into you?"

"A stroke."

"Oh, I heard. I like the new you, though~. Maybe you'll be a loving father."

"You wish. Where is the tyke, anyways? I heard he was removed from his incubator."

"Yeah, that's right. We moved him into his fluid enhancement pod just a bit ago. Come on, he's in the back!"

He stumbles as his wife _very_ enthusiastically grips his hand and pulls; despite himself he cracks a smile. The other workers at the Center chuckle at the display, more amused than annoyed at Gine's sudden departure.

When they reach their quarters, Gine glances around furtively before opening the door and pushing him in. The glowing yellow pod sits next to her bed.

"Geez, he's kind of small…"

"I think he's a late bloomer. He looks just like you, though~: he certainly has his father's hair."

Bardock gazes into the glowing pod, putting his hands up to the infant inside. Kakarotto opens his eyes, blinking; he places his hand against his father's. The warrior feels something well up inside him.

"… Tonight, after dark. I'm going to steal a pod."

"Eh?! Planning on having another one already~?"

"No; a _space_ pod. Two, actually; one for me and one for _Kakarotto_."

"W-what?! You can't take him off the planet! He's only just gotten into the second part of his incubation; he can't even talk yet!"

"I'm sure he has potential; he'll probably be sent offworld anyways. I'm going to at least see to it that he grows up on a decent world."

Gine blanches; maybe, just _maybe_, that stroke could have affected him for the worst. "Bardock! He is _way_ too young for that! Even if you chose a pod with, like, growth fluid in it-"

"Gine! I don't think we can afford to wait much longer!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Freezer! He's… afraid of the legendary Super Saiyan."

"The legendary Super Saiyan…? That… that's just a children's fairy tale, Bardock!"

"I know. But the thing is… I think he's still bothered by the legend. You know how much of a paranoid freak he can be. I just have a feeling, that death is on its way for us."

Gine's eyes widen and her mouth starts to gape- but she then scowls, leaning against the bedframe, "Alright buddy, what's _really_ going on here? Did something happen while you were on Kanassa? Did… _Naranja_ get in touch with you or something?"

"I… look, you want the truth? The extended, uncut _truth_, Gine?!"

"Y-yes! What the heck's gotten you so worked up?! About the Super Saiyan, and Kakarotto, and… and Freezer…"

"I… I've been seeing things, Gine. Things- no, not like _that_, wipe that smirk off your face. Think about where I was. Kanassa, remember? Why did Freezer want that planet, again?"

"To… sell it? Wait, no, are you talking about-"

"Yes, I'm talking about the fucking psychic powers! Towards the end of the assignment… one of them got the jump on me. He… he was skilled. Not strong enough to beat all of us, of course, but I think he knew some sort of _magic_. He hit a pressure point on me and… soon after that, I had the first of my strokes. And… now that my head is starting to clear, _visions_."

"Bardock… I… What if you're wrong? Freezer could just be making an announcement… or… or…"

"Why do you think _every_ saiyan has been called back to Vegeta, Gine? Every saiyan except a few groups; the prince's, and my own crew of standouts. _Something_ is wrong here, and worst case scenario… I'd rather have my son be away from the danger."

"B-bardock… I… and you…?"

"I… I'm sorry. I have to follow our crew. To Meat. I have a suspicion… if he's keeping the prince's (all male, I might mention) crew for work… ours must be being drawn off to another world for another reason. I think, a fatal one for us."

The girl sniffles. There _two_ possibilities here; their tyrannical benefactor is going to do something truly awful, destroy the lot of them or worse… or the man she loves, the man she trusts and relies on more than anything has gone bonkers. He wouldn't _joke_ about things like this. It's all she can do to keep from really crying.

"I'm sorry, honey… but… I want our son as safe as can be. A garden world picked out by me, in the dead of night, would be better than him staying here for the Freezer Force to deal with."

He looks at her with slightly watery eyes. As stoic as he is, the commander can't really hide the anxiety; not form his constant companion and one love. She flops into his arms as he sits on the bed. The woman, she finally breaks. She had thought this would be a _happy_ reunion, not an immediate separation of their entire family. She nuzzles into his shoulder as she weeps softly…

"I-if you're wrong… bring him back, okay? G-go get him back… _Kakarotto_… *sniff*"

"I promise, honey. I just want us all to be as safe as possible. Especially, especially Kakarotto…"


	3. Solid State Scouter

**Royal Spaceport on Vegeta**

**Two Hours Later**

Bardock peeks around the corner, before turning back the the Scouter he has plugged into the computer in front of him; he holds his infant son under his arm. God, he's going to turn out underdeveloped. Maybe he should pick another planet from the catalog on the computer… one with _reeeally_ high nutrition to make up for his being pulled out of the growth pod.

"Hm, Kakarotto, what do you think? Wanna go to Namcheck?"

"Oogu?" the baby monkey mumbles as he looks up at his father, wide-eyed. Infants in the incubators are far noisier, but fresh out of growth pods it's almost like they're drugged. He grumbles before slinging the toddler back over his shoulder and skimming his Scouter; this was the latest model from Rithica, couldn't the damn thing go any faster?

"Oh hey, Bardock!"

He bolts straight up, startled by the callout. He whips around and rips out the wire attaching his Scouter to the computer, and accidentally gives the baby some whiplash as he barely manages to catch him.

"Uh hey, Beets? What're you doing… out here so late?"

"I work here, Bardock, you should know… what are _you_ doing here."

"Oh! Uh… giving my son a tour?" he stammers awkwardly, thrusting the baby out in front of him.

"Bah!"

"Aw, is that little Kakarotto? Wait, no, you can't distract me! You've got to get out of here- Freezer wants all saiyans besides those on special missions on Vegeta tomorrow. Taro told me something was up with you-!" he stutters, before finding himself suddenly interrupted by the ting of a laser pistol. He stares in shock as his Scouter shatters into pieces.

"Beets, I'm doing this even if you try to stop me. Get. Out. Of my way. You of all saiyans, should know just how strong I really am for a _low-class warrior_," he growls at the technician. His eye catches a glance of the last planet in the search history of his Scouter; the closest one he's likely to get for the ideal place to drop Kakarotto.

… Earth? Never heard of that place. Probably for the best… it probably won't show up on the Freezer Force's radar for quite some time.

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

"Y… you're not cleared for this, or any kind of takeoff…"

"Shut up and program the pods."

The scrawny saiyan mutters under his breath about how much trouble he's going to get in after this.

"All right, you happy Bardock?! You happy about this man's _career_ you just ground into dust?!"

"If it saves my damn son's life, then _yes_, yes I am."

"God… I almost wish you were _right_, just so I don't have to see the look on Rashi's face…"

"That reminds me… hey, Beets, the pods done yet?"

"Yeah, they're done. Just touch and go; please, just, get out of here."

"… Hey Beets?"

"What?!"

"You ever hear about the concept of 'leaving no witnesses'?"

The smaller man looks up in bamboozlement for a split second before comprehension dawns on his face; _instantly_, he springs into action to try and scramble away. Unfortunately, his captor's speed and power outclass him by an entire order of magnitude. Beets struggles against the deathgrip of the warrior's beefy hand, his face turning purple with exertion as he lets out a muffled scream.

"Sorry, Beets."

Kakarotto stares blankly off into space as the crunch of a neck snapping rings through the deserted complex. Bardock looks around and quickly shoves the body into one of the pods, the one programmed to head for Earth.

"… Guess this'll be your first real meal, Kakarotto. Hope you enjoy saiyan," he grumbles sardonically as the toddler is picked up and plopped next to the dead body. Good thing Beets was so small for a full-grown man.

"Kakarotto… don't forget us, okay? Me, and your mother, and… I guess Raditz, if you've met him."

The hatch slides closed over the entrance of the pod; some comprehension dawns in the infant's eyes for the first time as he raises a hand, placing it over the visor.

"Ba?"

"Yeah, Kakarotto. I'm your 'ba'."

He places his own hand on the hatch's visor, seemingly covering Kakarotto's. The saiyans gaze into each other's eyes for a good long second before Bardock quickly turns around.

"Sayonara, Kakarotto."

Thus as he prepares to send off for Meat, his fated child blasts off to worlds unknown.

**Freezer's Ship: Orbit over Vegeta**

"But without the saiyans, our fighting force will be drastically reduced! Almost by half!"

"My troops will still be able to get by, Kikono. These barbarians _pretend_ to be submissive, but they're dangerous. They could bare their fangs against us at any time!"

"Eh…?!"

"They are, after all, a species completely comprised of warriors. It's always best to put a sleeping beast down… _before_ it can be awakened. I attack at dawn tomorrow; Kikono, have you made sure their spaceports are disabled?"

"Yes, sire!"

"Do one more run, just to be on the safe side; and cripple their communications, too. Now… should I detonate the core with a _Supernova_ attack, or a _Death Ball_…? What do you think, Berriblue?"

**Planet Meat**

"HuuuuuuuuaaaaaAAAAAAG-CK!"

The brawling saiyan is slapped in the face hard enough to shatter rock; a quick follow-up punch knocks his lights out. He sprawls back, comatose.

"Borgos," a heavily wounded Tora mutters under his breath. "No… Damn you, brutes…" He slowly, painfully reaches for his dropped Scouter, only for it to be crushed underfoot. He gazes up into the cold, sneering face of their attackers…

"Why?! Tell me! Why are you doing this?! I… I don't understand!"

The cronies just laugh at him, cackling along. Comments like "loser" and "poor thing" are dropped in sickeningly sweet voices while the aliens mock him.

"What don't you understand, Tora?" bursts out the voice behind this. The brutish, despicable pink clod of a General. "That you are _weak_?"

Tora raises his head, glaring at the monster. Dodoria smirks as he kneels down, looking him right in the eyes.

"What a mess you are. Aaaaahh, Tora… my monkey man…" his hand suddenly shoots out, almost ripping out a good chunk of the saiyan's chest meat through his battle armor before he yanks him up to eye level.

"You shouldn't have forgotten that you are _weak_."

"What… whaddaya mean? We serve Freezer! You _know_ that!"

"Yes, I know~. Freezer's very impressed with your service record," he grumbles out as laughter begins to emanate through the ranks again. "Yes… _too_ impressed. (Huh?) It seems he wants you _dead_."

"Hwhat? Why?!"

"I don't want to flatter you, but Freezer thought you were getting too _strong_."

The fruian in the back pipes up in a squeaking voice, cackling.

"Cool, huh? You should consider this a promotion!

"HEHEHEAHEHEAHEHAHHAHEHEHHHEAHEHEHAE!"

"It… it's not _fair_. Everything that we've done… was for him… How could he do this…?"

"You fool, it's not what you've done! It's what you _might_ have done, in the future?"

"… What?"

"Oh, you don't like that, Tora? Let's see if you like THIS!"

Tora is suddenly greeted by a wave of pink flesh, before everything goes black.

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

"It looks like they plowed right through this one… I hope I managed to teach those knuckleheads something about fighting after all…"

The saiyan surveys the landscape, looking over the carnage. No sign of his friends… or a Freezer Force hit team. Just dead natives for kloms around. He grumbles before hitting his Scouter.

"That… must be them. Lousy bums, if they're just celebrating, I'm gonna tear them a new one…" he mutters as he blasts off to the indicated location on his screen.

"Borgos!"

Bardock immediately skids to a stop and slams into the rubble. He rushes to his friend, checking for any signs of life. "Borgos… Fasha? Shugesh?! Oh, gods… those _monsters_…"

"bardock…"

"Tora?!"

His Scouter manages to pick up the fading energy signature. He whips around towards a pile of rubble.

"TORA! Are you in there?!"

"b-bardock…"

"DAMN IT!"

He cries out and immediately fires an energy blast at the rubble. It takes him a second before realizing this is probably not the best idea; he proceeds to mumble his regrets before simply floating to the position and starting to sort through the rubble.

"Come on, come on Tora! Don't tell me you lost to those meatheads!"

Tora's face is exposed, and he coughs as Bardock unburies his torso, wincing at the makeshift tourniquet on his bicep. "N-no, come on man… you should know us better than that… We… we were ambushed… by…"

"I know, Tora. I know. Which one of them?! Which one of Freezer's bastards did this to you?! And… and why…?"

"It… Dodoria. We took the jobs that even his elites wouldn't mess with… and we still won! We… were getting to be the best, and Freezer's scared…"

"Scared of what?!"

"Of you, Bardock… don't ya see…? He's scared of what you might become! The… the super saiyan… you were getting too strong…"

Tora coughs up some blood, and they both realize… he's not going to make it, no matter what they do. Bardock winces and places a palm on his chest; energy starts to flicker. "Goodbye, Tora."

"do it. … and… good luck, old friend…"

And with that, Bardock punches out Tora's heart with an energy blast. His breathing stills; as much as he tries to hide it, this is the second time Bardock has almost cried in just a day or so.

"So… so this is what it's come to. This is how we're rewarded for our hard work! We tried so hard to satisfy Freezer! My crew… Those pigs! So they thought we were getting too strong! Borgos, Fasha, I promise I'll get them for this! Shugesh, Tora! I'll die trying! Frieza's taken our loyalty… and played us like a damn fiddle!"

His voice rises in volume as he clenches his fist, sheer rage threatening to overwhelm him. Saiyans know grief… it's not unheard of, specially given their lifestyle. But this is no ordinary fall in battle, this is sheer _betrayal_, something unnatural. For as much as he had suspected, as much has he had _seen_ with the Kanassan's curse… the confirmation in the form of his _best friend's corpse_ was a little much for him.

"Useless-ass psychic powers…"

He clenches his fist, shaking in fury; his nails draw blood where they dig into his palms. He kneels over the body of his comrade, taking the tourniquet from his arm and unwrapping it. Bardock moves over his face, and cleans the blood off, making slow deliberate movements to give Tora at least a _substitute_ for a proper burial as the cloth soaks with blood, dying a deep red. He proceeds to knock the rubble back over Tora's body, and wraps the band around his forehead as a reminder… of what Freezer has done.

"I thought there was a foul smell in the air! So you're the ones!"

The approaching daik warrior and his comrades freeze, before laughing nervously. "Heh, Bardock! You crack me up! We had some good laughs with your crew earlier, too; you shoulda been there!"

"You're right: I should have."

The fruian cackles; "Do you really think it would have made that much of a difference, Bardock? I mean, _really_? You aren't an elite; it's not as if you were taught how to make a _false moon_, you _brilliant scientist._"

The stoic warrior stares them down, _really_ fucking pissed.

"HUUUUUAUAAAAAGAH!"

He bum-rushes the group, smashing the ground where they stood only a second before as they scatter into the air. The fighter startles before staggering under the force of the fruian's Die Die Missile Barrage, the energy bullets slamming into him like a flurry of punches and kicking up clouds dust with their explosions.

"There, that should do it–*SGACK*!" The other soldiers are alerted by a strangled shriek; they turn to the recently triumphant alien only to see his corpse falling out of the sky, its head looking like a burst watermelon! How did that monkey move so fast?!

"Eachpe, no!"

The daik commander grunts in frustration before putting up a hand and firing an energy blast; his three comrades do the same, and Bardock is assaulted from all sides by the orbs of explosive light. He's lucky enough to notice the saiyan manage to dodge at the very last second, before the explosion obscures the area.

"Ah, damn it! Where the heck did he go?!"

"He can't hide forevah, baws - huh?!"

The slugemon gags as the saiyan wraps his arms around his shoulders, putting him in a Full Nelson while also crushing his neck. He releases a good amount of energy into his aura… it catches someone's attention.

"H-Bardock?! Ah, there you are! Die, you _fool_!"

Unfortunately for the daik, the blast fires releases illuminates the body enough for him to see that _oops_, he just shot and killed his slugemon trooper. The smoking body plummets while Bardock vanishes back into the smoke.

"Oh, no… what've I done? Damn it!"

The only other fighter still in the battle, the meian comments over the Scouter. "That was an ingenious move! He's no slouch; better watch out!"

"HE'S JUST A LOW LEVEL, _WE'RE_ THE ELITES! GET HIM!"

As he says this Bardock blitzes out of the cloud, dashing towards the meian opponent with a raised fist.

"HUUUUAUAUAAAGGH-*gack!*"

_"__See the _horror _of your end, just like _we _HAD TO!"_

Bardock freezes in mid-air as the threat once again rings through his mind; almost knocking him clean out. Glimpses of a world yet to come once again flicker through his mind. His vision goes black, but he struggles through it, fighting to stay conscious against the psychic wave of pain.

_"__Kaioken Attack!"_

_"__Not bad, Kakarotto… for a low-level!"_

"NO!"

He forces himself back into full consciousness, writhing strength he didn't know he _had_. The meian holding him in a Full Nelson of his own squawks as his catch flips upside-down and puts him _right in the path of his commander's approaching fist_. A sickening crunch rings out.

"Dole, mo-!"

The stammering daik is cut off by a whirlwind kick to the head. He is knocked out almost instantly, before Bardock hits him with an overhead hammer fist and slams him to the ground ten meters below.

"DIIIIIIE!" he screeches as he rams into the poor guy's torso at hundreds of miles per hour; his feet crush the armor under them and start to embed themselves in his chestmeat before starting to curbstomp the living shit out of him. By the time he's done, there's little left but broken armor and a puddle of fleshy goop.

"Ugh… _That_, was from my crew, to you."

"_So these were some of Freezer's 'elites', huh? I can see why he might be getting worried._"

As his rage fades, he can feel his strength go with it; his consciousness suddenly fizzles and his body feels ten times heavier. Pushing through that psychic overload didn't leave him unscathed, on the inside. He pants as the sound of plodding footsteps sounds out behind him; he turns around.

"Mmm… unfortunate business, isn't it Bardock?"

"Damn right; unfortunate for _you_, Dodoria! Tora told me that you're behind this!"

"Oh, he was alive? I must be worse at counting corpses than I _thought_."

"ALLOW ME TO HELP WITH THAT BY REDUCING YOUR LIFE POINTS TO ZERO!"

Dodoria simply stands still, sucking in a deep breath. His muscles inflate as Bardock rushes forwards, and _slams his fist into his gut_ with every ounce of strength he can muster. Dodoria's eyes widen in surprise - that _hurt_. Bardock's also widen. He's… still standing. The pink brute snarls before smirking, and pops open his mouth.

"BooOOAOOUUUAUUUUUUUGHHHH!"

And even though he managed to pull through that previous psychic stroke, the world floods with light for a split second before goes black once again…

_"__Kakarotto… _you_ are the last of the saiyan race… you must… be the one to defeat Freezer!"_

**Freezer's Throne Room: Several Hours Later**

"Mission accomplished, sire!"

"Oh, really? You sound so sure of yourself, Dodoria."

Dodoria blinks; Freezer's tone is rather cold. And he does _not_ like how it is directed at him.

"Once again, you botched it up."

"I did not, ZARBON!"

"You missed one; the leader, Bardock. He's still alive."

"You're wrong! I saw him die!"

"Then what's that then?!" Zarbon shouts as he points at the detector; and a certain _something_ is speeding towards Planet Vegeta.

"Huh?! A space pod! I don't believe it, how could he have survived that?!"

"Dodoria!," Freezer snaps. "Perhaps this will teach you to not take things for granted! To be more _thorough_ in your work!"

"Lord Freezer, forgive me. Please, sire! Let me go now! Bardock, he's dead! I'll be–"

"YOU WILL BE QUIET, DODORIA! YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE! There's no need to chase after that single bee, anymore~. He's heading right back to the doomed hive!"

Zarbon speaks, as Dodoria is busy groveling at his emperor's feet. "Yes, I see! It is time to extinguish the whole lot of them, then?"

"That's right! You guessed it, Zarbon. As soon as we run one more check to make sure the saiyan _spaceports_ are downed, we'll pull up the weeds by the roots!"


	4. Divergence

**Bardock's Pod**

Bardock grunts, coughing up blood. Dodoria's single blast _really_ did a number on him; it's a miracle he was able to call his pod and crawl inside. He saw even more of the future while he was out… and enough of it was actually relevant to the situation at hand.

_"__I for one, feel _SO_ much better now…!_"

Snarling, he slams his fist on the upholstery as Vegeta grows in view, as red as a blood ruby and adorned by the Winged Rings. Even if Freezer destroys the planet, he will make _damn_ sure he has to work for it. His Scouter's already been crushed; a symbolic rejection of the Freezer Force. In exchange, the bandana dyed in Tora's blood is wrapped tight around his head._ "I… will change this future. For… for my blood, Kakarotto and Raditz and Gine. And for you, Tora."_

He slips back to sleep as the pod enters the atmosphere.

**Five Minutes Later: Dawn at the Spaceport**

"Bardock! Y-you're under arrest for stealing royal property and _probably_ murder! Let us execute you quietly!"

"_Fuck_ off, Chishan. I was on Meat. Like I was _assigned_ by the de facto 'king' itself."

"Sure, sure, and where's the rest of your crew?!"

"DEAD. Go away, I need to get straight to recovery! They really messed us up this–"

"Whaddaya _mean_ de-*GACK*!"

"Look here you little shit," he says, jamming a finger into the young man's face while the other hand holds him up by the neck. "I don't have a damn to give about what you're trying to do, and I'm sure you feel the same way about me. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people with power levels as low as yours. If you get out of my way right now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, even if you get out of this death grip, in my last few hours of life I will look for you, find you, and crush your fucking head like a rotten grape DO YOU UNDERSTAND, CHISHAN."

"Y-gkkacgckckk…!"

He drops the blue-blooded brat; "Get out of my sight." The whelp scampers off in the direction of the palace, cursing.

"GET ME PLANTHOR AND MALAKA!"

"W-w-why?!"

"DON'T QUESTION ME! Have them at the royal library in ten minutes or I will blow this spaceport to pieces!"

"Y-yes sir!"

Bardock looks down at his muscles, mildly surprised. He must have gotten a hell of a zenkai from those beatings he's been taking; what must his power be? Nine, ten thousand? Must be a _very_ impressive number if he was able to manhandle what was honestly an upper-mid class warrior like that.

**The Royal Palace**

Bardock pushes his way through the ex-royal palace, towing his mate behind him. Questions like "Where the heck are we going?!" are brushed aside by firm declarations that they don't have much time.

"Bardock! Seriously, you're taking this way too far! What proof do you have?!"

"The proof of _Tora's blood_ on my hands! Also, I _showed_ you the records my Scouter picked up from Dodoria's gloating."

She takes a deep breath: "… Okay, okay. Let's say that Freezer's going to blow us up _right now_; who is on this 'crack team' you've assembled?"

"You… might not be too impressed."

_"__He got his butt kicked, that's what's wrong with him!"_

_"__Bardock gets his tail whipped and it's the end of the world, right? Maybe you goons should stop pretending to be elites!"_

_"__He needs to get to recovery!"_

He shakes himself out of his reverie, snorting at the thought of the bar assholes. She shrugs. "I guess all the best warriors besides you _are_ offworld… or dead…"

The dude kicks open the entrance to the Royal Library, and Gine gasps.

"Is that Chishan?!"

"He's just our errand boy."

Gine is absolutely speechless as she looks around at the motley crew. A scared-as-shit heir to the Vizier sitting in the back, behind two _nonsaiyans_; a technician and a physician? Her eyes can't decide whether or not to narrow or widen as she starts to choke on laughter.

"H-honey? This… is who we're going to save the planet with?"

"H-hey, Gine."

"Uh, hey, Chishan… where's Dendretta."

"… Home."

"Huh."

Bardock coughs into his fist; "Gine, it might not look very impressive, but that's… because it isn't. Any saiyan worth their salt under Freezer's status quo basically laughed me out of the room. They, er, probably won't believe it until death is staring them in the face."

"Oh…"

"Docs, what have ya got for us?"

Chishan gives Bardock a strange look as he defers to the doctors; trusting in _xenos_ is not usually what a saiyan would do, either logically or by his very pride. Bardock, however, understands that these eggheads know far more important particulars of the situation than a warrior would.

Malaka coughs, and elbows Planthor. He creakily stands up…

"Well, Bardock, the way I see it there are three possibilities. First of all - Freezer could simply try to detonate the planet's core in as quick a manner as possible. However, given your recent boosts in power due to your beatings you may very well be able to deflect that. This leaves is with two main dangers."

Malaka then takes the stage. "The first one is that Freezer attempts to destroy the entire planet in a colossal blow. His power level is a whopping five hundred and thirty thousand-" upon hearing this, every saiyan in the room blanches. How could any monster be _that_ strong?! "- so I'm afraid you might not be able to stop it. However, despite the spaceports and planetary weapons being disabled we _do_ have a form of attack that might work."

A simultaneous "What?" erupts from everyone in the room.

"A saiyan pod!"

"WHAT?!"

"B-bardock, Freezer may have disabled them but we can easily reverse that if given enough time. And… well, have you ever seen what happens to a planet when a pod impacts it _without_ slowing down first?"

"I… wow, at relativistic speed? That doesn't sound… damn, that might actually work. You want to launch a pod right into his ultimate attack?"

"Indeed. Since it won't get up to interstellar speed without a passenger, _I_ have volunteered because Chishan is too chicken and Planthor… well, he shares a similar phenotype to you. Do you all agree?"

Gine pipes up. "Wait, will you _survive_?"

"I might! Going that fast, it's possible that as low-density as a planetoid sized ki construct is I may simply plow through it on my way to our destination. You see that pod back there on the spaceport?"

"Yeah. Wait, what?! You set it up in ten minutes?!"

"Well, yes, but actually not yet. It isn't ready to launch, but the location is set. I'm on my way to Freezer Planet 79 baby!"

"Isn't that just Kanassa?"

"Yes! Look; if you all fail and I survive, then it won't be _that_ suspicious since I look like… a big lizard. But if you _do_ all succeed, then either I die or I don't! And if the attack _does_ kill me… lucky you! You didn't die!"

"… huh."

"Mister doctor," Chishan begins, warily eyeing the man who forced him into this, "What is the _other_ possibility?"

"Ah, yes, yes. You see… Freezer is, er…" he tails off and allows Planthor to speak again.

"Freezer is, to put it simply, a lazy bastard. While he may be strong enough to shatter a moon with a punch… it is _very_ likely that if his first attack fails, or he simply is feeling lazy, he might send in a cadre of his elites to exterminate you saiyans… and everyone else on Vegeta, I might add, individually."

"Damn… and there's still only a few million of us left after the Tuffle War, too."

"Quite."

The saiyans in the room frown, and Gine deigns to ask questions.

"So, mister Malaka, how come _I'm_ here? I mean, besides the fact that this is Bardock's whole thing."

"Ah, yes! That is because you (and your husband, though that's likely marital influence) show a trait very rare among your kind…" Malaka spews the words out excitedly. "_empathy_. Or at least, emotional vulnerability." He takes out a seemingly _ancient_ tome from one of the deep shelves, labeled _Hanasia: Queen of the Saiyans_ in overly-fancy script, and another, even dustier old scroll whose only discernible marking is the name _Leonard_.

Chishan stammers; "Hanasia?! I've heard about that in passing, but… well, Ive never read it. I'm a _saiyan_, after all."

Planthor grunts. "And what a shame it is, because if _any_ of you meatheads had remembered that the Royal Library existed the Super Saiyan might not have been such a mystery to the Freezer Force and to you saiyans so long!"

Every saiyan in the room audibly gasps. Chishan stutters out a "You mean-?!"

"Not for you, I'm afraid. You may be cowardly and a brute-" the noble glances back at Bardock, just checking to make sure he's still able to stop him if he went after the doctor, "- but I'm afraid you lack… well, what I just said you need. _Empathy_."

Bardock scrambles to catch the book Malaka tosses to him, as the shienil pops open the other to plants a finger on a few lines.

"*ahem* This Leonard was apparently a saiyan _scholar_; amazing, I know. His work states that Saiyans use but a piece of the total power their bodies can hold, and that they can become much stronger. Looking at your progress, this is evident, Bardock. And according to him, the key to reach this higher level is empathy. The ability to feel for others. To share their pain, to be sad for them and, to suffer when they suffer."

"That's completely idiotic!" Chishan blurts out.

"Is it, Lord Abbac? _Is_ it? If you'd turn your attention to page four hundred and seventy nine, you would see that…"

Chishan groans, lamenting his academic fate under Bardock's glare and Gine's giggles. He has a feeling he is _not_ going to like being part of this resistance. At least he'll only have to do the _manual_ labor…

**The Spaceport: Thirty Minutes after Dawn**

"You two ready?!"

Planthor calls out from besides the pod; "Almost, Bardock! Just another fifteen minutes or so. Malaka's inside the ship, and the physical work with Chishan is done."

He grunts. "Alright, Chishan, you've actually earned your keep as a worker instead of just as a royal snot for once. Go sit with Gine in the palace if you want - things are going to get ugly soon enough."

The whelp nods enthusiastically as he scurries away with the second to last of the Scouters; the _very_ last is with Malaka in the pod. As soon as he's able, he hands it off to her.

"GINE, GINE CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"Y-yes, Malaka!"

"GREAT, GREAT. OKAY, SO YOU'RE SURE YOU'RE UNIQUE?"

"Yeah… sorry, I can't think of any other saiyans that are quite as much of a white sheep in my community…"

"THAT'S FINE. YOU'LL BE PLAN B. SO… JUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE SKY, OKAY? TRY TO GET VERY ANGRY, OR SCARED, OR FEEL SOME OTHER INTENSE EMOTION THAT MIGHT CHARGE UP YOUR ENERGY. ESPECIALLY IF BARDOCK STARTS TO LOOK LIKE HE'S IN TROUBLE, TRICK YOURSELF INTO FEELING THAT IT'S FATAL."

_"__A stunning sight… sometimes I amaze myself, with how callous I can be."_

"I… Okay, yes! I can do that!"

"TELL CHISHAN TO FETCH YOU SOME ARGININE-VASOPRESSIN INJECTORS FROM THE HOSPITAL IF YOU'RE REALLY NEEDING THE BOOST IN ANGER. YOU AREN'T A FIGHTER, BUT THE SHEER AMOUNT OF EMPATHY YOU HAVE FOR A SAIYAN MIGHT BE ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THAT IN CASE BARDOCK FAILS TO LIVE UP."

"Got it! I can do this! Yeah!"

_"__I, for one… feel _so_ much better now~."_

"ALSO, GINE, YOU'LL BE GLAD TO KNOW THAT… ER… OH, NO, THIS IS A BIT TOO EARLY FOR US. OOPS!"

Gine and Chishan look up into the heavens and grow pale as snow, before the light of an awful sphere of fiery death above makes them turn red and gold. And far above, the mad glaeris Emperor cackles with sadistic delight as his generals rather cautiously reopen the hatch for him to descend into his materialistically opulent yet sleek and simple-seeming throne room.

**Royal Streets before the Palace and Spaceport**

"Commander Apio!"

"Huh? Nizuch? What is it?"

"You know how we're supposed to be clearing the streets to get ready for Freezer's announcement… and, uh, arresting that Bardock for stuff?"

"Uh… I think we might have our priorities out of order," the saiyan enforcer mumbles as he points to the encroaching Supernova. Apio's jaw drops as the world starts to turn red.

"You… oh god, Bardock was right?!" he screams as the atmosphere almost ignites. The entire company around him stops and stares… shrieks of "What the hell?!" and "OH MY GOD!" and "Is that a meteor?!" ring out. The few pods which are fired up in desperate attempts to escape are shut-down remotely; and panic breaks out among the saiyan populace.

Except for one _ridiculously_ determined spiky-haired psychic who a few notice out of the corner of their eyes.

**The Spaceport**

"PLANTHOR! How much longer?!"

"J-just five more minutes, Bardock! We need more time!"

"WE HAVE NO TIME!"

"HOLD! IT! OFF!"

Bardock grumbles something about xeno backtalk before making a snap decision and _launching into the air_. They just need it held off for a few minutes?! Fine, he will _fucking do that_.

"Oh my Beerus is that fucking Bardock oh shit he can't hear us oH FUCK APIO HE"S FLYING RIGHT TOWARDS IT"

**Royal Airspace**

Bardock whistles through the air, cursing under his breath. That fucking bastard just couldn't wait, couldn't he?! Couldn't wait _five damn more minutes until he was ready for him_!

Oh, they've noticed him all right. Those are Freezer Force uniforms he sees filing out of the ship, up just at the edge of the atmosphere. Though, that's not too far away; high gravity leads to smaller ones, after all.

He skids to a stop a good ten kloms off the ground, staring down the Supernova barely a kilometer away from his position. It's now or never; he starts to build up as much power as he can.

"Seven… eight… ten thousand?! When the hell did Bardock get that strong?! What's he been doing this whole time?!"

"EeaaaaaarrrraaaaAAAAAAUUUUUUUGG_GHHHHH_!"

Heart filled with fury and body _bloated_ with ki, brilliant blue energy of a ferocity not seen in ages bursts out of Bardock's palm as he swings it forwards; the air itself twangs like a taut string as he punches through it.

"FINAL SPIRIT CANNON!"

And the orange sky is streaked with blue…

"Holy _shit_."

The ki _explodes_ out of Bardock; it is quite clear he is not holding anything back. The recoil forces him to grab his arm and hold it in place as the Spirit Cannon careens into the Supernova. "Freezer… FREEZER… FREEEZAAAH!" bellowing in rage, and the beam doubles, quadruples in size until it dwarfs Bardock himself. He is a mere conduit for the _overwhelming power_ flowing through him.

Then… the saiyan warrior starts to laugh. Because for all his power, for all his _fury_ being poured into this final desperate assault, the Supernova slows down only minutely. The great sun of ki staggers forwards, shoving Bardock's ultimate effort out of the way. Ten meters away… then five… then one! The pain next to such a source of heat is _absurd_, not to mention the strain on his retina; he isn't even outputting a beam anymore, just a wave of pure power in a valiant but doomed attempt to delay his death by another moment for every _kili_ he can spare.

And with a flash, it's over. The beam is diffused under the sheer pressure and every ounce of energy he outputs is pumped _directly_ against the binding construct of his enemy; his hands are scorched to the bone, and if it weren't for the sheer amount of power he was expelling his appendages wouldn't even be _recognizable_. His howls of exertion turn to _wails of pain_ as the infinite mass of death pushes forwards, surrounds and _envelops_ him: he shrieks as he feels himself start to burn to ash in the unending heat, the only thing even close to matching the torment he is going through being his _unyielding rage at being SO DAMN HELPLESS!_

And then, two things happen… indicated by two great sounds…

*fWOMP*

*_HUUUUAAAAAAAGH_!*

Malaka, whooping in mad excitement befitting of a repressed scientist of his caliber blasts off at _light speed from ground level_ in his ridiculously illicitly modified pod ("Aaaaaiiiiiieeeeeee_haaaaaaaa_!")… and… the legend of the Super Saiyan is fully realized for the first time in over three millennia as golden power _explodes_ from the screaming warrior behind the Supernova.

"F-f-f-five hundred thousand?!"

"Supreme kai _almighty_ remind me to not get on his bad side."

And with a resplendent shouting of the tyrant's name heralding, the two surging forces slam into the ultimate attack at the same time, _blowing it to pieces_. The scattered shards of ki and plasma jiggle before dissolving spectacularly, leaving the air with an ambience of gold over the red, streaked with the blue of the space pod's trail.

"_FREEEEEZAAAAAH_!"

The fuckmassive explosion sears every onlooker's eyes; there are only two options for any saiyan on the same _hemisphere_ here. Either one is whooping in excitement at the show of force, or just noticed it due to the massive blast and is now an observer. Either way, it's pretty obvious now that _goddammit Bardock was right_.


	5. Railroading

**Freezer's Throne Room on the Ship**

Nearly everyone in observation chamber jumps back as the pod careens past, missing their ship by mere meters. Save for Freezer and the omnipresent Berriblue, every inhabitant is incredibly anxious.

"So be it."

"M-my lord?"

"Scramble the troops, Zarbon."

"Sire? You wish to have the _soldiers_ fight… _that_?"

"Are you QUESTIONING my orders?!"

"G-gah! No, Lord Freezer! Right away sire!"

"KIKONO!"

"Y-y-yes, my l-lord…?"

"PROBATION! TO YOUR QUARTERS, _NOW_!"

"Yessirthankyousirverykindmylord…!"

Freezer grits his teeth, barely concealing his fury. He had _specifically ordered_ the space ports and pods on them to be _rendered infunctional_… not to mention the absurd way one was just USED AGAINST HIM! ONE OF HIS OWN SPACE PODS?! AS A _WEAPON_?! Now he might have to put actual _effort_ into this! Two Supernova attacks in one day might be a bit draining, especially if saiyans managed to breach the ship!

And even more infuriating… that _Bardock_… he… he had _changed_. Freezer peered into the detector's monitor, and his scowl only intensified. He had a _feeling_ about what this might mean, and something told him that perhaps the thing he had feared had come to pass at the last possible moment before he was home free…!

**Ex-Royal Palace**

"B… Bardock?! Gine, what the _hell_ is that?!"

"He's… _golden_… he's a Super Saiyan! My Bardock is the Super Saiyan!" she cries out, tears of pride and joy welling up in her eyes as Chishan glances at her. With only static in her ears she rips off the Scouter, writing Malaka off as dead or out of range.

Planthor bursts in, heaving coughs and wheezing; he looks up at the two saiyans.

"Miss Gine! Chishan!"

"What is it, inferior?!"

"An invasion! Freezer's… he's sending out an invasion force!"

Gine snorts, grinning: "So? Bardock can _totally_ beat them! We're saved! Those… those… oh, man, that's a lot…"

"Go! Help him out!"

"Why should we, _alien_?"

The technician just points towards the window for Gine and Chishan to peer out. The noble gapes, while she grins even wider at the chanting erupting from the scattered saiyan mob.

"New King! New King! New King!"

As they watch, the bloodthirsty apes rise from the ground in waves; inspired by the sheer show of strength, allured by the wealth of enemies which they have despised for so long, and having confirmation that doing nothing would likely be no better than finally taking a stand, the every member of the warrior race for _kilometers_ rallies to battle. And by rallies, I mean _charges blindly while screaming bloody murder_: even the weaklings pop out some ray guns for potshots. Chishan, coward that he is, blanches, while Gine pumps a fist into the air before dragging him out after her to help.

"I-I thought you were a pacifist or something!"

"Freezer deserves this! Go, get us some Scouters!"

**Royal Airspace**

"_WAAAAAAAAAGH_!"

Bardock (along every other saiyan in the struggle) vociferates, almost losing all sense of himself to the animalistic rage burning inside him. He doesn't even take notice of the horde of newly-inspired saiyan followers blasting up towards him and the descending army; he is, in a phrase, _entirely_ focused on Freezer. In turn, a good chunk of the enemy armada is focused on him as well; his brilliant golden shine is hard to miss in the blackness of the Vegetan stratosphere.

As he rockets upwards a ring of about a dozen alien soldiers blasts ahead, attempting to stop his advance with a barrage of blasts from around him; the Super Saiyan simply barrels through, slamming his elbow through the face of the nearest slugemon soldier before flying past the rest of the bewildered platoon.

"COME ON, YOU COWARDS!"

He deftly jukes around repeated assaults as he flies through the cloud of xeno warriors, countering punch for devastating punch and blast for blast. A Rebellion Spear fries another uppity slugemon, his reward for whiffing an energy blast.

"RRRAAAAAAAUGH!"

An entire squad of enemies manage to come at him from all sides, dogpiling. He doesn't even slow down, simply dragging the mass of bodies and limbs for a good hundred meters before a shriek heralding a sudden surge of power blasts them off.

**Freezer's Room**

"It's me he wants, isn't it?" Freezer snarls with a twitching eye. "Prepare my transport, Dodoria!"

"S-sire, you wish to leave the ship?"

"GET! ME! MY! TRANSPORT!"

"Y-yes my Lord!"

**Edge of Space**

The xenos start to pull back, wariness and common sense finally starting to take root in their minds. Unfortunately, common sense dictates that Freezer might execute them for cowardice and thus after a short delay they throw themselves right back into the fray. A daik and slugemon manage to wrassle themselves onto Bardock;

"Keep him away from the ship!"

"He's insane!"

"FREEZAAAAAH! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME! YOU COWARD, COME OUT!"

The hatch starts to open up for the second time that day, releasing a _substantially_ more pissed looking Emperor in his hover chair. While Lord Freezer looks surprisingly unimpressive in person, the look on his face alone is enough to inspire nausea.

"It's him!"

"Lord Freezer…!"

"W-we salute you, sire!"

The terrified army erupts into shouts and cheers; cries of "Long live lord Freezer!" can be heard for as far as there is air for the waves to travel on; in contrast, Bardock smirks manically.

"Heheheh… NO way, you've lived long enough! Actually it's been _too_ long for my taste!"

Freezer glares at the rebel, slowly charging up energy. He raises a single pointer finger out of his hoverchair, as he takes in the saiyan's features; sharp jawline, spiky hair, _golden aura_. A small orb of power flickers to life. The army watches in horror as Bardock continues to mouth off to the Emperor of the Universe.

"LISTEN UP! We quit! _All_ of us! YOU GOT IT?! We don't work for you!"

"Uh, just so you know, this man does _not_ speak for us!"

Freezer quietly executes the soldier who spoke out with a Death Beam and gets back to watching Bardock's little rant.

"We're free! You can find someone else to do your dirty work!"

Freezer almost chuckles at the Super Saiyan's impudence, though it's rather nervous.

"Oh yeah… there is _one_ last thing… THIS, is for all the worlds we slaughtered in your name! I wish we were never foolish enough to work under your kind!"

The mad emperor's laugh becomes external, further enraging the monkey and terrifying his soldiers. He screeches; "Oh yeah?! Come and get it!" as the entirety of the army scatters in a desperate bid to save themselves from both their murderous master and the swarm of barbarians below them. And with one last mighty holler, the beast and the monster stand off to charge their ultimate attacks.

"This ends _everything_! _LAST_ _RIOT_ _JAVELIN_!"

"No way!"

"He has enough juice left for _another_ one of those?!"

"New king can stop it! Probably!"

Gine looks up in bewilderment as a new sun grows, only for the Riot Javelin to slam into the rapidly expanding mass of death. "CHISHAN! Do you see this?!"

"YEAH, YEAH! IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD… BARDOCK MIGHT BE EVEN MORE RIDICULOUSLY STRONG THAN HE WAS BEFORE, BUT HIS BATTLE INJURIES… EVEN THE ONES ON MEAT WERE NEVER HEALED…"

"Crap crap crap crap-!"

The entirety of the battlefield turns to watch the clash of titans, the monumental collision of the explosive masses of energy. The Riot Javelin impacts into the Supernova, almost causing a nuclear reaction from the sheer force of impact. To the soldiers nearest to the blast zone, it's clear… Bardock is struggling to to force more power out, while the Supernova 'pushes back' simply by continuing to grow.

"GRRRRRRRR! FREEZER!"

Said Freezer starts to break out into maniacal cackles. _This_ is the legendary Super Saiyan? True, though he would never admit it, he started out a bit intimidated… but it's clear that the entity's power is barely up to par with his own! In his _third_ restriction form! He shrieks with laughter as the Supernova burgeons with deadly energy and swallows up the head of the Riot Javelin. The laughter only increases in volume as the Supernova is flicked forwards and careens towards the planet.

"No way!"

"Lord Freezer!"

"O-oh my! Look at that! This… this is stupendous! Wow! What a great show! Unbelievable! Look at that!"

"No, Freezer! Please don't!"

"RUUUUUUN!"

Gine panics. _Nobody_ on Vegeta could have imagined that Freezer was _this_ powerful! Holy _fucking shit_! She… she…! The empathetic saiyan cries out to her beloved as the Supernova slams into him. The _emotion_ building up inside her… fear for her husband, sorrow for the end of their world, _anger_ at the saiyans too cowardly to do anything but gape and those who outright _flee the battle_…

And… _pride_. Pride because gawdayum he's doing it! Freezer's face contorts into a snarl as he Super Saiyan's bare hands dig into the energy ball, grasping and shoving and _moving it back_, inch by inch…

But then…

_"See the _horror _of your end, just like _we _HAD TO!"_

And the Super Saiyan cries out in agony.

**Royal Airspace**

"BARDOCK!"

"GINE! C-CALM DOWN - THERE ISN'T ANYTHING WE CAN DO! WE SHOULD RUN!"

"Run to WHERE, exactly?! Sadal? HUH, HUH?!"

Chishan almost shouts back, until he thinks about what Planthor and Malaka had told them, back in the royal library…

_"f you'd turn your attention to page four hundred and seventy nine, you would see that the Super Saiyan is a special state, not an individual in and of itself… _

_"The prerequisite for affecting a saiyan's power in such an overwhelming manner is for the saiyan to be affected by overwhelming _emotion_; something not likely to ever happen when your culture represses emotional vulnerability and readily allows the venting of rage through violence. However, a psychologically divergent saiyan like Gine or, especially, her powerful spouse may hold the key…"_

"ANYWHERE! ANYWHERE BUT HERE! BARDOCK… IS GOING… TO… DIE!"

"N-no! Bardock's… Bardock's going to save us! And-and we're going to defeat Freezer and save planet Vegeta and rescue our children and live a happy life with Kakarotto and Raditz and never ever never have to worry—!" Gine screams into her Scouter as her panic begins to overwhelm her. She cries for her husband as he's buffeted by the Supernova, only surviving by the sheer amount of _raw power_ he exudes in his throes. Chishan winces before doubling down.

"AT LEAST BE GLAD YOUR SONS AREN'T HERE TO SEE THEIR PATHETIC, DESPERATELY SCRABBLING FATHER DIE IN SUCH AN IGNOBLE MANNER!"

"Y-YOU SHUT YOUR _FUCKING_ _MOUTH_, CHISHAAAAN!"

Thus the Age of Heroes truly began, with the birth of a second Super Saiyan.

**Edge of Space**

_"But, you know, my lessons don't come free. You must find me a young gal!"_

Bardock struggles against the weight, the infinite pressure of the Supernova. He barely perceives through the psionic onslaught his own brain is wreaking upon him, catching only shattered fragments of the present and future…

_"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaforgotmytractoraaaaaaaaaaaah-!"_

"Gine…?" he mutters as he manages to catch a glimpse of the real world. Is that… next to him, his wife? Golden, glowing with power, struggling alongside him?

_"We only have Vegeta and Buu left to defend the world! Goku's ki will probably never recover…"_

She turns to him, grinning through the pain. "w-would you look at this… looks like i had potential too, huh?" He grins in return, not having heard a word of what she said but being glad that they can be together… even if these are less than ideal circumstances. Between his psychic stroke and her… far too low base power level, they don't have a chance in hell of delaying the Supernova for more than a few seconds longer.

_"Bon Para Para! Bon Para Para! Bon Para Para! Bon Para Para! Bon Pa-PA!"_

"Gine…" Damn, he can barely tell his _own_ words apart from those whirling around in his mind. Looks like it must've gotten out though; at least, he _hopes_ that's the present.

"B-Bardock?!"

"I… I really love you, Gine… you and my… my Raditz… and… and _Kakarotto_, even though… knew him…"

Tears well up in her eyes, and she drops all the effort she was expending to embrace him. He pushes for a little longer against the deadly sun before embracing her back as she whispers sweet nothings into his delirious ear. Their flesh starts to shear off as the mass of plasma once again surrounds and envelops them. A final vision… _"I'm a saiyan sent from earth to defeat you. The legendary warrior, with a pure heart awakened by rage. SON GOKU... THE SUPER SAIYAN!"_

_"K… Kakarotto…? Y-yes! I see… It's you, my son… You are the one who will defeat Freezer!"_

And as the ultimate attack disintegrates their bodies and plows into and through the crust of Vegeta, annihilating everything and everyone in its way… Bardock's cries turn into laughs of future triumph.

"KAKAROOOTTTOOOO!"


	6. Epilog

**Throughout the Seventh Sector of the Universe…**

**North-Eastern Quadrant Border: Cooler's Ship**

Salza: "Monsieur Cooler! It seems zat your brother Freezer is destroying ze planet Vegeta!"

Cooler: "_Very_ impressive, killing of a bunch of monkeys. Any liquored up hillbilly with a shotgun could have done that at the _zoo_."

Salza: "Well, sir, it seems he has missed a single ship, only recently launched from said planet! We are within range to intercep-"

Cooler: "No. Let it go."

Salza: "But… why?"

Cooler: "Because if he's going to whine to our father for control over the entire Quadrant like a spoiled little shit… then he's going to accept the _responsibility_ for this. If it comes back to bite him… that's _his_ fault."

**Cretaceous**

Shorty: "Did you hear that?!"

Nappa: "Hear what? Something wrong?"

Shorty: "We got a message from the Freezer Force! A meteor collided with Planet Vegeta, and… what?! … Our whole world was obliterated!"

Scarface: "Gah!"

Nappa: "Uah! Impossible!"

Scarface: "That means most of the saiyan race was completely wiped out…! But how?! They should have detected the approaching meteor!"

**Gumori: aka New Vegeta**

Paragus: "Broly… Broly, you saved me… us…"

Broly: "Daaaaaadaaaaaa! I-I-I… I want to go home!"

Paragus: "Broly… you're the one who _took_ us from home. _As_ it was being destroyed. That is impossible, son."

Broly: "NOOOOOOO! I! Wanna! Go! Home! NOW!"

Paragus: "B-Broly! We're all friends here… W-w BROLY!"

**Kabocha**

Lakasei: "Turles! Turles! Sir!"

Turles: "What, is my ship ready?"

Rasin: "No, no! We've received reports… Your home planet looks like it's been destroyed!"

Turles: "What, Vegeta?! I was never happy on that world, but still… hm, Lakasei!"

Lakasei: "Yes sir!"

Turles: "Gather as much information on the events around it's destruction as you can!"

Lakasei & Rasin: "YES SIR!"

**Tech-Tech**

Shima: "Tarble! Gure!"

Tarble: "Mama…?"

Shima: "I… sure, Tarble, sure. I have… bad news."

Gure: "Uwah…? What is it?"

Shima: "I don't know how to say this… but, your home planet was destroyed, Tarble."

Tarble: "… You mean I get to stay here, with you guys?"

**Cretaceous, a few minutes later**

Shorty: "Prince Vegeta… unfortunate news from Lord Freezer. It seems that… that Planet Vegeta was hit by a large asteroid earlier today and… and destroyed."

Vegeta: "And? You're sure?"

Shorty: "A-affirmative. As of right now, we are the only confirmed survivors."

Vegeta: "Oh, really?"

Scarface: "Would… would you like to send a reply, sir?"

Vegeta: "No. No reply."

Raditz: "Well I guess we're pretty lucky, aren't we? It's a good thing we got this assignment when we did and weren't at home…"

Vegeta: "Ergh, well I guess now I'll never get to be King Vegeta…"

Nappa: "Vegeta, you have a brother, don't you?"

Vegeta: "Oh, yeah, I wonder if he got blown up too. Pfe, not that it matters."

Scarface: "And you had a brother as well…"

Raditz: "Yeah, but he was just gonna be a lower class warrior… he was still at home sleeping in a nursing capsule. A disgrace… … Wait, I think mom said they sent Kakarotto off the planet in a pod though. Oh well, I couldn't care any less."

**Antiphyta**

Onio: "Did you see that, babe? A giant explosion just occurred…"

Honey: "Don't worry about it baby, we're busy, remember~?"

Onio: "I'unno, babe, that mighta been planet Vegeta."

Honey: "You have something more important to do, don't you? That 'Kuriza' kid?"

Onio: "Right, right…"

**Unknown Planet**

Breet: "No! NO! NO! NO!"

Breet: "Beets… How could… Freezer…? WHY?!"

**Yelna**

Grenn: "RIIIIGOR!"

Rigor: "Whaaat, old man?!"

Grenn: "Where have you been? The rebels have been closing in on us for-*GACK*!

Rigor: "Listen up, bub. I don't have to take this shit from you. Sit down or shut up, capiche?"

Grenn: "damn… saiyan…"

**Jinkousei… Zenyark… Rithica... Rygol 7?**

Naranja: "He's dead."

Patata: "What?! When, how?!"

Naranja: "When we… when we tried to infiltrate the ultimate control room. I'm sorry, but Lord Col won't be joining us anymore."

Lechuge: "Oh, damn… what are we supposed do when those warbots find us?! Or… or if Freezer's men come back for us and see that we _haven't_ been killed?!"

Naranja: "Don't worry, don't worry… I know _exactly_ what to do…"

**Earth: aka Terra**

Gohan: "Wha…?! Oh my goodness! A little boy! What're you doing way out here, little fella?"

Kakarotto: *cries more*

Gohan: "Hm… heheheh, whaddaya know, a tail! Heheh, strange fellow. Don't worry, I'm a little odd myself, _believe_ it or not~."

Kakarotto: *giggles before kicking him in the face*

Gohan: "Oh my! You're a little _stinker_ aren't ya~? Goodness, you should take it easy on me! I'm old enough to be your _grandpa_ yaknow! Now… let's see…"

Kakarotto: …?

Gohan: "Ah, yes, I see! I think I know what to call you until I find out where ya belong, little fella! Look, how 'bout I call ya _Goku_?"

Goku: *laughs and pats Gohan's face*

Gohan: "Oh-ohoho, you like that, huh? All right then, Goku it is! Hahaha, wee! What a good little boy!"


End file.
